When attending entertainment events such as concerts, sporting events, fairs, plays, and the like, or when commuting, ticket stubs must usually be retained by a patron. The ticket stubs are typically used to ensure proper seating and to show authorization to be present in a specific location at a particular time.
Unfortunately, however, ticket stubs are often lost or misplaced, resulting in problems for security personnel, ushers, or conductors, and embarrassment and grief for the patron. Further, particularly when attending entertainment events, a patron may want to retain the ticket stub as a souvenir of the event attended. Yet, even if not lost, ticket stubs are often damaged through normal usage at the event, with bent comers, scuffs, crumpling or tears. Thus, the sentimental and possible monetary value of the ticket stub as a souvenir is reduced for the patron. Even when patrons have properly saved the ticket stubs, the patrons often have their hands filled with food and beverages, articles of clothing or other items making it very inconvenient for them to search for, retrieve and display their ticket stubs to authorized personnel upon request.
Additionally, ticket issuers, as well as patrons, often encounter clever forgeries of tickets, leading to troubling situations where patrons desiring to attend entertainment events are deceived by unscrupulous counterfeiters and where patrons are prevented from attendance. Such ticket issuers also may wish to limit access to some areas to only particular classes of attendees, as, for example, limiting attendance in student sections to students only. Frequently, the ticket issuers may be forced to expend additional money on personnel or security devices to prevent any fraudulent compromise of the ticket from occurring. Ticket issuers may include, for example, the use of sophisticated holograms on the ticket itself or even require that picture identification be presented with the ticket to permit entry into the event. Such precautions become expensive for the issuer and inconvenient for the patron, especially in multi-event seasons such as sporting seasons. Other patrons, particularly season ticket holders, often desire to keep in a single safe location their season parking pass, only one of which is usually issued, which must be presented along with the ticket for the particular event when parking.
Additionally, patrons desire a safe place in which to conceal and protect small items like identification cards, money, or the like. At some events, patrons would rather not carry a purse or a wallet due to fear of loss or theft, as well as due to the inconvenience of carrying and safeguarding such an item. However, the patron may not have sufficient pockets available within which to carry items such as cash, credit cards, identification, parking passes, or the like.
Further, in addition to the ticket stubs, many patrons of entertainment events often desire a displayable souvenir bearing a team logo, band picture, or the like. The merchandising of collectible memorabilia has become a big business at entertainment events around the world. Many items sold as collectible memorabilia are often articles of clothing such as caps, shirts and coats. Other items include mugs, key chains and pictures, but such items are not as readily displayable, particularly when attending the event itself.
Various types of transparent holders are known in the prior art. They generally pertain to the retention and display of convention badges, identification cards, commuter tickets and the like. However, many of the holders require a pocket to use the device. Others require the use of pins or other clothing attachment which may damage clothing or the device. The prior art includes a badge with a means for retaining the badge on an article of clothing and a ticket with a pressure sensitive adhesive on the stub portion so that it may be attached to clothing. However, either the badge or ticket stub or the clothing may be damaged when removed. Further, only one side of such a device is able to be seen at any time, and that side does not allow for the display of information other than the ticket or badge itself.
Additionally, one of the holders known to the inventor includes a plastic envelope that is secured to a neck band. The envelope may hold a ticket. The device is designed such that the front of the envelope will always lie flat with only the front of the ticket viewable at all times. Thus, the invention teaches the importance of displaying only a single side of the holder. Further, while a small self-adhesive advertising sticker may be affixed to the holder, the sticker is not intended to be prominent. Nor is it protected from damage. Additionally, the sticker lacks aesthetic value, as well as any sentimental or actual value to the ticket-holder.